In addition to private investment totaling about $7 billion, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced that Washington will provide federal funding to expand access to climate‑information services. Harris said the private sector will contribute $7 billion to a fund designed to help Africa combat and adapt to climate change. The announcement came as her week‑long African trip concluded on Saturday.
“The United States is committed to these types of innovative solutions to support climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience,” Harris told reporters during a press conference with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on Friday. She added that the U.S. will also increase federal funding for climate‑information services. The private funding will come from a mix of 27 companies and organizations and will be used to promote climate‑smart agriculture and address the impacts of climate change on Africa’s food security. Some of the money will support projects in sustainability, clean energy, and clean transportation.
Harris’s visit marks the fifth high‑level U.S. trip to the continent in a short span of months. Numerous studies have shown that, although African nations contribute relatively little to global greenhouse‑gas emissions, they bear a disproportionate share of climate impacts. African countries emit far fewer emissions than developed nations such as the United States.
At a press conference in Ghana, Harris was asked how the West could expect Africa to go green while limiting its use of natural resources, and she was questioned about the promised $100 billion in aid from wealthy nations to poorer countries under the Paris climate accord. She responded that “it is critically important that, as global leaders, we all speak truth about the disparities that exist in terms of cause and effect and that we address those disparities.” (mf/sms AP, dpa)
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